


In One Piece

by reason_says



Series: Swim or Drown [2]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Kayfabe Compliant, Lovers to enemies to lovers, M/M, Manipulation, Polyamory Negotiations, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-23 15:43:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17686334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reason_says/pseuds/reason_says
Summary: Starting a relationship isn't easy. Renewing an old relationship when you're also in another relationship is even harder, and requires too many conversations.(Sequel to 'Don't Care What Comes After')





	1. Cast of Thousands

**Author's Note:**

> Title (again) from Heel Turn 2, by the Mountain Goats
> 
> This was just supposed to be a coda, but then the first one was just supposed to be a one-shot, and look what happened!

It’s not until he wakes up that the guilt hits him.

Not all at once - he gets a few minutes to notice the sunlight through the curtain, the sound of Candice showering, the persistent ache in his knee and the new one in his shoulder - but all at once his brain snaps into focus and reminds him of what happened yesterday. Not just winning the championship, although he gets a thrill of pride when he sees it draped over the desk chair, but what he’d done afterwards. After the match… and after the show.

He kissed Tommaso. More than once. More than kissing, even, and not being able to continue doesn’t mean he didn’t want to. He’d made offers that were as good as promises, and gotten promises in return. Smiles and lingering touches and pressure that he can still feel. All that without talking to Candice first.

He’d been so sure she’d understand, but in the morning it’s harder to believe that. He knows, now, that he can’t wait until after the Rumble to tell her. What if she wins? She’s good enough, she could do it, and then he’d be bringing her down by talking about his lies. Whereas if she knows going in, she’ll be angry, sure, but it might give her the extra fire she needs to throw everyone else over the top.

He might just be excusing his own fear. He hates this.

The shower cuts off and he sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He has to face the music, there’s no way around it, but the knot already forming in the pit of his stomach makes it hard to focus. He’s never done this before. Never gotten with anyone else without clearing it with her, just as she would never without clearing it with him. Not even for a hookup, and especially not with someone who’d hurt them both so badly. Tommaso being their ex doesn’t mean he can slot back into their lives, no matter how reasonable he’s started to sound.

More than anything, he doesn’t want to hurt Candice. He doesn’t think he can stop wanting Tommaso, no matter how she reacts, but he will absolutely control himself if she wants him to. If he’d just asked her first, he might have had a chance, but now… He’s such an idiot.

“Hey, you’re up!” Candice enters the room toweling her hair dry, and his heart clenches in his chest. “Any big plans today?”

That shocks a laugh out of him, and he makes a show of relaxing against the headboard. “Nah, I thought I’d just stay in, maybe watch some TV. I hear there’s a show on tonight, that should be fun.”

“Oh yeah? Anyone we know in it?”

“Well, it’s that one with surprise entrants, so it’s hard to say. Joey might show up and win the whole thing.”

“You know, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Done with her hair, she tosses the towel back into the bathroom and approaches the bed, running her fingers over the faceplate of his new title on the way over. He’s still trying to think of the best way to broach the subject of last night without breaking the mood when she throws herself down with a bounce.

“I know it’s early. You want to eat something first, or you want to go ahead and talk about you and Tommaso?”

His shock must be visible on his face, because her playful expression softens and she rubs his knee comfortingly. “We can wait, it’s fine. As long as we get it worked out, you know?”

“No, I-- I know. You’re right, we should go ahead and talk about it.” His stomach doesn’t do anything as dramatic as rumbling on cue, but he does get a sudden pain reminding him he hasn’t eaten since  _ before _ yesterday’s show. ‘Maybe we can get something to eat while we do that, though?“

“Sure thing. You want the free breakfast or room service?”

Johnny thinks for a moment, but it’s barely a decision. “Let’s do room service. I’m a champ now, I can afford it.” He really should get dressed, but as he’s standing up he notices something else he’d forgotten. “Maybe we can start on my victory cupcakes, while we’re at it.”

“Only if you promise not to be disappointed I didn’t make them myself. I tried, but they wouldn’t let me behind the counter.”

“I promise to love them just as much, don’t worry.” And he will, he isn’t joking. Buying them with love is almost as good as making them with love, and  _ exactly _ as good when he’s hungry. Maybe if she doesn’t hate him by the time they get home, she’ll even make more. One thing at a time, Johnny. Talk to her first.

He orders breakfast while Candice gets dressed, then dresses in turn while she clears the desk. By the time there’s a knock at the door, he’s no closer to imagining how she thinks this conversation will go. All he’d told her was that he and Tommaso had talked, and worked things out. And not killed each other. While that’s true, it doesn’t cover the rest of what they did, and that’s what he’s not sure how to bring up. These sorts of conversations would be necessary even if he  _ hadn’t _ lost control of himself, but when he’s actually screwed up this badly, it’s hard to be enthusiastic.

“OK, unpacking, right? Starting from the beginning, which I guess is when you left.”

“Sure, let’s go from there.” Candice looks at the ceiling, visibly retracing her steps. “I went to the grocery store and then came back here, and the last match was almost over by the time I got the wifi working. Tommaso won, and you came out and… I wasn’t really sure what you were thinking. You looked proud, but aside from that I wasn’t sure.” She makes calculating motions with her finger, a cue for when she’s putting a story in order and doesn’t want to be interrupted, then continues. “Then... a few minutes later the video of what happened after that went online, but everything after Dream hit you was sort of confusing. I figured someone would have called me if you were hurt, though? So I tried not to worry.”

She seems done, and he’s thinking over what he might be able to add, when she continues: “I did notice Tommaso attacked Dream for you, though. After you got between them. I don’t know if it means anything, but it was noticeable anyway.”

“That was weird, right? Even after he helped me with Ricochet, it didn’t make sense for him to jump in like that. I still need to ask him about it.” He’d been thinking about that moment all last night, but hadn’t had the courage to bring it up amongst the rest of their discussion. If he had, it would be tantamount to asking Tommaso if he still has feelings for him, and it’s easier not to know the answer to that. “Sorry, give me a minute, let me put my thoughts in order.”

“Sure, take your time.” Candice has dug in now that she’s done talking, and he does the same. It’s not as good as when he makes breakfast for them at home, but any trace of domesticity they can salvage on the road is nice.

“OK, after you left I got my bag together, and by the time I got to a monitor again the last match had just started. I don’t… really know why I went out, to be honest. I thought a lot about it, and the best I can give you is that it felt  _ right. _ Like I needed to be next to him when we were both champions. It just… made sense. At the time, at least.” It’s hard to get this out when he almost feels too sick to eat the food he’d ordered, but it  _ had _ felt right. He’s just not sure what that means.

“When Dream came out, I was mostly just mad at him for ruining our moment. Then he started spouting his BS about deserving a title shot, like he hasn’t had that before, and then… yeah, Tommaso was fighting him before I knew it. And then  _ everyone _ was fighting, did they follow us backstage? Or did they cut off the feed when the audience couldn’t see us?”

“They cut to the backstage array, but it wasn’t like the same cameras followed you the whole way.”

“That’s  _ so _ weird. I hate when they do that, there’s no privacy.”

Candice nods in sympathy, but also gestures for him to continue. Right. He has to chance this.

“So after the fight and all that, he and I… talked.”

“Mhm, you said.” Her encouraging expression isn’t helping; it just makes him feel more guilty. “Anything else? You said you worked things out, what does that mean for you?”

“We. Uh.” He takes a deep breath and forces the words out on the exhale before he can stop himself again. “We also made out and almost hooked up.” He buries his head in his hands before he has to see her face, though that also muffles his voice when he continues. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. He was... ” He groans, thankfully still muffled, and looks back up. “I’m so sorry.”

He can’t read her expression at all, but he’s pretty sure she’s confused. He can’t blame her. “We did actually talk. That wasn’t some euphemism. But… yeah.” He drops his eyes back to the desk, his fork forgotten, and tries to keep his breathing steady.

“All right...” Now her tone is  _ definitely _ confused, which isn’t at all the immediate anger he’d expected, and he wonders for a moment if she’d heard him correctly. “Take me through this. Why are you sorry? I thought we’d talked about that before I left.”

“What… did we?” No, they did  _ not. _ He’s pretty sure he’d have remembered that.

“I mean… I was under the impression that was your plan. That’s why I wanted you to be careful. I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear.”

“Oh. Wow.” Johnny shakes his head, trying to settle his thoughts. “Wow, no, I didn’t understand that at all. I’m. You were OK with it?” It’s still not good. He still moved without asking first. This is too much to take in this early.

“Well, I’m still furious at him, of course, don’t think I’m not. But he still means a lot to you. And me,” she admits, tilting her head in concession. “I don’t think it can ever be the way it was, but… yeah, I’d made my peace with trying.”

“Wow,” he says again, blinking through his confusion. “Sorry, I wish we’d had a longer conversation about that, because now I just want to backtrack.”

“Well, we can do that.” There’s something leading in her tone, and he knows what she means.

“Yeah, but first… I’m still sorry. I knew it was stupid at the time, and I don’t know why I didn’t stop. Somehow I thought I could talk to you afterwards. I told him he should talk to you, too, but who knows if he’ll take me up on that.” He sighs, picking up his fork again and prodding at his breakfast. “I don’t have an excuse. It’s not better just because I was doing what you thought I was, since I didn’t  _ know _ you thought that.”

Candice nods, reaching out to brush her fingers over the back of his unoccupied hand. “I definitely should have been more clear, I’m sorry about that. Next time, I’ll make sure I’m not just implying consent. But… you’ve never done that before, right? I don’t remember it, at least. You always ask.”

“Yeah, one hundred percent. It never even occurs to me  _ not _ to, so I don’t… I don’t know why that happened. I’m not excusing myself, I’m just… upset.”

“I think I know why. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but it’s something we still need to work with.” She twists their hands until their fingers are laced together and he looks back up at her, still unsure what to expect. “He’s in your head. Don’t tell me he isn’t, I’m not talking about your matches. You’re still bound up with him, whether you like it or not. He gets to you, more than he does me, because you’re actually allowed to fight him. I mean,” she mutters, “I  _ could _ fight him, but I’d get suspended.”

“I don’t fight him anymore, though.”

“No, but you’re still his focus. And he’s yours.”

This, too, is something they’ve talked about. His tendency, when he gets too wrapped up in the ring, to pay less attention to his wife than to their ex. He hates every time it happens, and Candice has been far more patient with him than he deserves, but this is the first time it’s led to what he’d definitely - even despite her apparent permission - call cheating. Tommaso is right about Johnny’s career arc, about his tactics, but he absolutely shouldn’t have let Johnny kiss him again.

(He also can’t keep relying on his partners to set his boundaries for him, but that’s a constant struggle that’s not unique to this situation.)

“Yeah… you’re right. I know you are. After everything that’s happened, I still… I can’t stop thinking about him. I really do want to try again. I don’t know if we  _ can, _ maybe I’m shooting myself in the foot, but if you… it’s up to you. I won’t, if you change your mind. I wouldn’t blame you, after that.”

Candice stands and holds out a hand to him, and when he takes it she pulls him up and into a hug. It’s so similar to what Tommaso did last night that Johnny has to choke back a sob, and while he’s immediately embarrassed by that, he doesn’t let go.

“You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” he murmurs into her hair. “I love you too. You’re the world to me.”

“I don’t know how to feel about you kissing him. I was fine with it, but when he gets you so worked up that you act without thinking…” She rubs his back comfortingly, but her tone is hesitant. “I don’t like it. I need you to be more aware of yourself if we do this.”

“I won’t do anything you’re not on board with. I promise. I’m thinking clearly now.” But he doesn’t know if that’ll be the case the next time he and Tommaso are alone together, and he knows that’s the problem.

What it comes down to is that he isn’t sure he can trust himself around Tommaso. He doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s always sort of been true. Once they were officially teamed together, they’d thrown themselves into friendship without even knowing whether the team would last beyond the Dusty Classic. By the time they had to fight the following year, they knew each other so well that it almost did them both in, but that didn’t stop them from nearly getting caught in a supply closet after the post-match interview. Nothing has dimmed that intensity since, not even visceral hatred and betrayal. He still hasn’t learned how to temper it.

“I trust you.” He makes a noise of protest, and Candice squeezes him tighter until he relaxes again. “I do. I still do. I just need you to think, you know? And… I need to talk to him first.” She releases the hug and steps away to unplug her phone from its charger, leaving him to deal with that image for a moment. Candice talking to Tommaso seems more likely to end in violence than solutions, but maybe that counts as closure.

“I don’t know if I still… of course I do.” She holds up her phone, Tommaso’s number on the screen. Johnny hadn’t been able to bring himself to delete it from his phone either, though he’s changed the contact name to various insults over the years. “So the option’s there if we decide we want it.”

“Can we… go back to processing for a minute? This is a lot at once.”

“Yeah, of course. Where do you want to start?”

“I’m… not sure. You thought I was going to go to him last night.”

“I did. Especially if he won, but maybe even if he didn’t. He probably would have come to  _ you, _ if he’d lost.”

Johnny can’t help but laugh. “No, that’d be a weakness.” But isn’t missing someone a weakness? Tommaso missed him, and admitted as much. He says this to Candice, gives her more of the details of their talk, and watches her face go from surprised to sad over the span of one second.

“I still don’t trust him as far as I can throw him--” Which isn’t saying much, because Candice can throw people pretty far-- “but that seems… like a start. I’ll have to see what he’s like when you’re not alone, but that’s something.”

“It’s something. He got… I don’t know how to describe it. I think he really does want to talk to you.” He steels himself, nodding firmly to back up his words. “I think we should do this. If you don’t think he’s being honest, I’ll… figure out some way to stay away from him. For real this time, I promise.”

“OK.” Candice nods back at him and offers a half-smile. “So we have a plan. That’s always nice.”

“This is all really weird. I know you know that, just… It’s like everything’s coming full circle. I’m still nervous about it, but it feels… right. I don’t know.”

“You miss him. I get it. And he might… not… be wrong about winning matches.”

This is the first time she’s admitted that, and it surprises more than pleases him. “Really?”

“I’m not there yet, but it gets results, right? It gets you noticed, it means you win. Maybe there’s something to it.” He can tell she’s trying to smirk, but there’s a genuine smile under it and he suddenly wants to kiss her. It’s what he’d been saying, what Tommaso had been saying, and he hadn’t been sure she’d ever understand, but she does. She does. They’re one step closer, and this can only build her momentum in the company.

“I love you, you know that? I’m not just saying that because of this, you really are the best thing in my life. Nothing’s ever going to change that, as long as I can help it.”

“I know. And I love you too, and I’m gonna find the best way we can make this work.”

Johnny takes a long breath and lets it out before he speaks again. “I love him too, though. I don’t know  _ why, _ but I still do.”

“Oh, honey.” Candice pulls him in again, wrapping her arms around him, and he can feel her nodding against his arm. “I do too. I don’t think it would be this hard if we didn’t.”

He holds her for a long time before they disengage to finish their breakfast.

They wrap up quickly, allotting themselves a cupcake each and saving the rest for after the show. Either they’ll both win their matches - definitely the more likely possibility - and can eat them as continued celebration, or they’ll lose and eat them as consolation. Either way, it’s best to plan ahead. Johnny’s phone buzzes while he’s getting his gym bag together, and when he checks it he finds he’s missed several texts from Chuck, of which this is only the latest.

_ What gives man you never answered my question _

_ Hey are you back with your evil boyfriend now good for you be safe _

_ Is that why you didn’t answer me? You too busy boning down to explain your gear? _

_ John boy I know it’s morning in AZ check your phone and twitter or maybe call me _

Candice laughs at his expression as she passes. “Chuck?”

“Oh yeah. He wants me to call him. He also wants to know if I’m back with my ‘evil boyfriend’, which I don’t even know how to answer.”

She rolls her eyes, but fondly. “Ask him if he’s talking about himself, with how he’s been acting lately. Or for his whole career, really.”

“You… are not wrong. I guess I’ll call him, he’s all worked up about my gear.”

“Oh! Wait a minute.” Candice puts her hand over the phone, and Johnny looks up in confusion. “If... We’re doing this, right? You want me to talk to Tommaso about this?”

“Only if you’re honestly fine with it. If not, like I said, I’ll stay--”

“You’ll stay away from him, I know. I believe you. But as long as there’s a chance, I’m here for trying. So I was thinking… maybe I can try to find him? While you talk to Chuck, or work out, or whatever you want.” She smiles, a little shakily. “No time like the present, right?”

“Are you sure? You don’t… seem happy about it.”

“Oh, I’m nervous as hell. I haven’t talked to him in almost two years, remember? I’ve had to see him try to break you down, and get pretty close to succeeding, and now we’re trying to salvage a relationship. I think you have a point, it’s  _ worth _ trying, but I have no idea what’s gonna happen, or what either of us will say. But I know I can kick his ass if he tries anything, so that helps a little.”

“Yeah… that’s some comfort, at least. I don’t know how to thank you for this. I keep messing everything up, and you just power through.”

“Don’t…” she sighs, shrugging a little. “Don’t say that. I’m fighting just as hard as you are, it’s not like it’s easy for me. If you’re the fuckup and I’m the hero, you’ll never save yourself.”

“You’re right. You’re right, that isn’t fair of me. I guess… good luck? Let me know what you think.”

“I will. Don’t be worried, we’ll figure something out.” She leans up to kiss him, then heads out, waving as she goes.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s almost one in the afternoon on the east coast when John boy calls him back, which is ridiculous, but Chuck doesn’t know whose room he’s been in. Maybe Ciampa had him tied up, there’s no telling.

“Finally! I thought you big shots had schedules, how’d you sleep in so late?”

“I’m fine, Chuck, how are you?”

“Yeah, yeah. Congratulations on killing Rico, that’s gonna look good on your resume.”

“Thanks. Congratulations on not killing Sue.”

“Hey.” Chuck frowns, because that’s a step too far. “That’s not funny. I wasn’t gonna hurt her.”

Although he barely remembers the end of that match, so he guesses he’s not the most reliable source for what he would or wouldn’t have done. He wouldn’t have hurt Trent’s mom, though. He’s pretty sure of that. And what’s it to Johnny, anyway, attacking people in parking lots and then having the balls to laugh at other people who maybe got a little caught up during a match? What does he know?

Maybe Johnny realizes that, because he drops it. “So you had a question, right? Something about my gear?”

“Well, that was my first question, but Gulak said it was nerd shit, so I lost interest. I mean, he didn’t say ‘nerd shit’, that was my interpretation, but am I wrong?”

“Thanks.”

“Hey, no, explain away if you want. Phoenix for Phoenix seems a little surface-level for you, so I figure there’s something else, right?”

“Do you know much about Phoenix? The character, not the city.”

Chuck pretty much knows what they’d cobbled together last night, which isn’t much. “I know she’s comics, and she’s apparently died more than once, which seems pretty comics. I also know she’s in a threesome with two guys in yellow and blue outfits, Trent pulled up some  _ really _ interesting art about that. Whether that had anything to do with Ciampa’s little blue and gold panties, you tell me.”

“I… huh. I don’t know anything about Tommaso’s gear, you’d have to ask him. But if you really want to know, I can explain mine.”

Sure he doesn’t know about Ciampa’s gear. Sure. Chuck rolls his eyes so hard Johnny can probably hear him. “Yeah, let’s go with that. Then maybe we can talk about you calling him ‘Tommaso’ again.”

He pours all the scorn he can muster on Ciampa’s first name, because seriously, fuck that guy. It’s not on Chuck if Johnny decides to have terrible taste again - and it’s not like Chuck hasn’t benefited from that terrible taste - but there’s a limit, and it’s somewhere around putting your partner in the hospital on purpose.

Not that he’s done so hot on that score either, now that he thinks about it.

Johnny doesn’t comment on Chuck’s tone, but the silence before he speaks says a lot, if you’re familiar with Johnny Gargano’s various silences. This one says ‘I don’t want to talk about that right now, but saying as much counts as talking about it, so I’m pretending you didn’t say anything.’

Instead, he launches into his explanation, which is instantly way too detailed. “So Jean Grey is an X-Man, which means she’s a mutant, you know that much, right? When she started she was just telekinetic, but...”

Chuck zones out a little. He does care, or he wouldn’t have asked, but maybe he should have specified the CliffsNotes version. When John finally says the word ‘Phoenix’, he zones back in, making the appropriate interested noises.

“They didn’t know, at first, that she had bonded with the Phoenix force - they thought she had just gotten weird radiation and changed her name. But when Mastermind defeated Cyclops, she was so upset that it broke his hold over her, and the Phoenix’s full power manifested. She was free, and she didn’t have any of the mental blocks she had before.”

“Right, but she was like, possessed now, right? It wasn’t really her.”

“No, no, it definitely was. If it weren’t, Cyclops being hurt wouldn’t be what triggered the breakthrough. It happened again later, when Xavier put psychic dampeners on her, which is  _ so _ creepy, by the way. When she thought Cyclops had been killed, she broke through the mental restraints and became Phoenix again. The Phoenix Force was the  _ source _ of her power, but it was tied to her emotions. When she was hurt or upset, she could get revenge because she had access to it.”

This all makes sense the way Johnny is explaining it, but something isn’t sitting right. “I guess the fire motif makes sense, she’s a phoenix, reborn in flame, but… Dark Phoenix. Why’s she dark? Did she go evil?”

“No!” Johnny sounds exasperated by the question, and Chuck has a feeling a lot of people have asked that lately. “She was never evil. She did… kill some people, yeah, but she didn’t mean to. I mean, it was more than ‘some people’, it was a whole planet. She needed their star’s energy to recharge, but using up their star killed them, so she was put on intergalactic trial. She’s actually been put on trial for it a few times, even though she’s died since then, which seems a little excessive.”

“I don’t know, did she ever pay for it?”

“Yes! By dying! It’s not her fault she lives in a universe that brings people back to life whenever the writers want them.”

That makes no sense, but Chuck doesn’t feel like pushing it. This is clearly something John’s thought a lot about, and they haven’t even gotten to the gear.

“So walk me through this real quick, my nerd barriers are coming up. She killed people and has a cosmic force in her, and you modeled your gear after her because… she’s powerful? What’s the story, here.”

“Right, yeah, I… got a little carried away with the backstory. Sorry. It’s not because she’s powerful, I could just be Emma Frost if that’s all I wanted to convey.”

(Chuck saw some pictures of Phoenix with this Emma dame when Trent pulled up the threesome art, and now he has an image in his head that won’t leave, because his friends are awful, but there’s no need to mention that to Johnny.)

“She’s… strong. She has power, but it’s more about overcoming limits, making the best of what you have and not letting other people control you. No mind control or psychic blocks, just your truest self in every fight. Also, yeah, phoenixes being reborn, she represents a new start. Possibilities you can’t even imagine, stretching in front of you just because you’re finally open to them and take charge of your life. All the power that’s been hiding inside you, until you’re upset enough to break through and use it.”

It seems safest not to get back to that ‘killing people by recharging’ thing, because if Johnny needs recharged, Chuck isn’t sure what’ll happen next. Good thing this is all just metaphor, right?

“Well,” he says instead, “thanks for that lesson. I’ll try to make sure I remember it long enough to tell the guys, none of us had any clue.” He might be trying to goad Johnny into asking who watched the show with him, into caring about anything but the weird threesome he has going on, but if he is, it doesn’t work.

“It’s creepy when you sound sincere, but you’re welcome. And… for real, I know we haven’t talked much lately, but I’m still proud of you. Preshow or not, you were still in the Tokyo Dome. I mean, Wrestle Kingdom, man! That’s big!”

“It’s a pretty big building, yeah. Fifty thousand capacity, something like that.” Chuck knows what he means. He doesn’t care. Stupid Johnny with his stupid meaningful gear and stupid ‘Johnny Takeover’ shirts and stupid relationship doesn’t get to tell him how great it is to be on the preshow and not even win the match. This whole conversation was a mistake. “You never answered me about your boyfriend, though. Let’s get back to that part. Is he the one who dies and then all your powers come out?”

“Shut uuuuup.” Johnny’s voice is tinnier suddenly, further away, and Chuck realizes he’s put the phone down. Probably has his head in his hands like the overwhelmed dork he is. “First of all, he’s not my boyfriend. Yet. I don’t know.”

“But you guys for sure dogged after that little staredown, right? I mean, that was  _ pretty _ heated, and I know how you get after wins, it’s the first broom closet you can find.”

“We-- we did not dog, what’s wrong with you? We just.” Johnny pauses again, and the next time he speaks his voice is closer to the phone. “We made out a little, that’s all.”

“I knew it!” He did not know it. He had a  _ feeling, _ because he’s known Johnny forever, but it’s encouraging that Johnny isn’t denying anything happened. Still terrible, because Ciampa doesn’t deserve him, but John boy could stand a little more emotional honesty with his friends. “What’d corndawg say? She knows right? What’s your next step? Tell your Uncle Chuck all about it.”

“You’re never gonna call yourself that again, first of all, or  _ we’re _ never dogging again.” Johnny pauses, and huffs a breath, clearly stalling. “Of course Candice knows. I don’t… there’s not a next step for me to tell you about. We’re working it out. But he’s not my boyfriend, come on.”

“Hookup? Ex with benefits? Husband? Stop me when I get it right.”

“I’m gonna hang up on you, and then you’ll never find out.”

“Come onnnn, don’t be that way. I’m trying to support my friend! In his… weird renewal of his relationship with a guy who almost ended his career a few times. Let me do this my way.”

“I couldn’t stop you if I tried,” Johnny laughs, and something in Chuck’s chest gets a little tight. He hopes, suddenly and fiercely, that this works out for them. It could go so badly, but Johnny deserves lasting happiness if anyone does, as gay as that sounds. “Candice is talking to him, either now or a little later. I… look, you can’t tell anyone, OK?”

“Hey, of course not.”

“Not even Trent. Not even Orange, I don’t care if he forgets. No one.”

“Ughhh, fine. I won’t tell anyone, fine, but you know they’re gonna figure it out if they’re paying attention at all.”

“No, that’s… I know. I know, I’ll deal with that when it happens, but this next part is what I really need you not to talk about.” He’s silent for a long moment, and this time it’s the silence of ‘I don’t know how to say this, so I’m pressuring myself to blurt it out.’ “I kissed Tommaso before I asked Candice.”

Chuck doesn’t know what to say to that. He blinks at nothing a few times. “OK… but she knows now? She’s like… not killing you?”

“Somehow! I told her, and then we had a talk about it, and I’m not dead. Apparently she gave me permission yesterday, but I didn’t get that at  _ all, _ we were kind of talking at cross-purposes. So… I don’t know, it was bad. Not the-- that part was good, but it didn’t even occur to me, I just thought she’d understand. What’s  _ wrong _ with me?”

Chuck takes it back. Johnny doesn’t deserve any of this. What kind of fuck-up cheats on someone like Candice and then gets to negotiate his way into a threesome instead of getting a divorce? Maybe it’s not a threesome, maybe it’s just an offshoot or something, but that’s not the point. The point is, how did John boy get so lucky?

“What  _ is _ wrong with you man? You get weird around him, was he in your head or something? Did he tell you it’d be OK, because if so, you  _ gotta _ know that’s a red flag. No matter how in love you are.”

“No, no, he… he said I should talk to her, and that he would too. And then… we were kissing, and… other stuff a little, shut up, it still wasn’t a broom closet. But it wasn’t his fault.”

Now they’re both quiet, Chuck trying to digest this flood of information he absolutely hadn’t expected when he’d picked up the phone. He’s gonna have to talk to Candice at some point, just to get it all straightened out and make sure he doesn’t need to kick John’s ass if she’d get fired for doing it, but… they’re all adults. Theoretically. If she’s actually fine with it, and sure Ciampa’s not about to murder them in their beds, it’s her headache. He still feels protective of them, though, and if he’s getting out of control in the ring, it’d be nice if he could get away with that when he’s near people who hurt them.

“Well,” he finally says, voice bright with false cheer he knows Johnny will see through, “looks like everything’s coming up Gargano. Big-time WWF champ, polishing up an old relationship, probably not physically falling apart… Happy for you.”

“Chuck, come on.” Johnny’s voice is soft now, and he hates that more than anything. “None of this is easy. I screwed up royally last night, we’re not even at the point where Tommaso’s  _ anything _ to us. It might all go downhill again. I might be wrong about him. It’s happened before.”

“Uh, I know, that’s kind of the problem I’m having! Has he ever even apologized?”

“Actually… kind of. Last night, he got pretty close.” There’s a faint beeping, Johnny groans regretfully, and Chuck hears a dull thump nearby. “I’m sorry, man, I have to get going. Candice and I both have to be at the show tonight, and I should really get a workout in before then.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. We can talk later, if you ever remember to check your DMs again. Hey,” he says suddenly, forcing the words out before he can hang up on himself. “Take care of yourself, OK? I know I’m an asshole, but that guy’s something else. I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“I-- Yeah. I know. I promise we’re being careful. I don’t even know if there’s anything  _ to _ take slow yet, but that’s the plan.”

“Good. Good.” Man, sincerity sucks. Actually caring about people is the worst, no wonder John’s gotten so serious lately. “As long as you’re at least pretending to know what you’re doing, I guess that’s all I can ask.”

“You take care of yourself too, Chuckie. I love you.”

“I love you too, John boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't @ me about Johnny's version of the Dark Phoenix saga, I promise I know. Take it up with Johnny-the-fictional-character, who thought it was a good idea to dress as an uncontrollable cosmic force that's burning through its host and leaving destruction in its wake. How else could he explain that to himself?


	2. I Will Reveal You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Candice and Tommaso have only faced each other once, in AIW. It's not required watching for this fic, but it IS worth seeing.
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qAAXJw2Ol4E

It takes Candice longer than it should to find Tommaso’s room, and a little longer to convince herself to knock. She had ended up not texting him, because she doesn’t quite trust him not to come up with a cover story if she gives him a heads-up about this conversation. She wants the real Tommaso, whoever that is now - not someone who says what he thinks she wants to hear.

So she knocks, and it’s only then that it occurs to her that he might be at breakfast, in the gym, or even on his way home. He doesn’t have another match this weekend, and he’s never been much for socializing, so she wouldn’t blame him for leaving early. She should have texted after all, or called, or at least checked at the front desk--

Tommaso opens the door. He doesn’t look surprised, but there’s a sort of resignation on his face that Candice can’t really understand.

“So… Johnny told me what happened. About how you talked, and then nearly hooked up in a side office. Old habits die hard, huh?” There’s no reason to joke, really, but it might put him at ease, convince him that she’s not here to fight. She wouldn’t believe that if he showed up at  _ their _ door, so it seems polite to make the effort if they truly do want him back in their lives.

Tommaso hasn’t reacted, but she knows better than to let his silence draw her into saying more than she intends. He’s used that against Johnny, and she knows how to learn from other people’s lessons. “Anyway, he said you wanted to talk to me, so… if that’s true, here I am. We can also wait until we’re all back in Florida, but Johnny’s not coming anywhere near you until we have a conversation. So that’s up to you.”

Tommaso nods, finally opening the door all the way. He’s in one of his old shirts, not the design he’s been wearing since he came back, and his knee brace dangles from the hand she hadn’t been able to see with the door half-closed. The combination is less closed-off than he’s seemed in months, years even, and she can’t tell if it’s deliberate. Surely he can’t have planned for her to come here now, surely he wouldn’t walk around on an injured knee just in case she needed to see him with his guard down.

Candice is cautious as she walks around him into the room, and has to bite her lip to keep from visibly reacting to the sight of his title belt laid out on one half of the bed. He always clutches it so tightly that she wonders if he’s using it to compensate for a lack of anyone else to hold, and this seems to prove it. No need to be rude, though. She pulls a chair away from the desk, but doesn’t sit down.

“So, what… Oh, please.” Tommaso gestures to the chair as he sits on the bed, so she sits in turn. Still alert, and with an eye on the door, but this isn’t a fight. She doesn’t want it to be, and hopes it doesn’t become one. “So what did Johnny tell you, about what happened?”

“Actually, I’d rather hear it from you.” She needs to know how he frames this, because if it differs significantly from Johnny’s account, she has options. She obviously trusts Johnny more than she does Tommaso, but the possibility of him lying to her - while never really a concern before - has risen uncomfortably in her mind because of his carelessness last night. Candice doesn’t want to think he would deliberately misrepresent their discussion after confessing to - accidentally? Is that a thing? - cheating, but however much she hates it, the possibility is there.

Also, Tommaso has spent the last two years lying and twisting with every breath. There’s no doubt his words are the bigger threat. But now he’s nodding, his hands flexing on his knees in some muted parody of anxiety.

“That’s fair. You saw the fight afterwards? I know they aired it.”

“I did.”

“Velveteen Dream felt the need to rant about a spotlight he doesn’t deserve, and once he had backup, he attacked Johnny. I couldn’t let that stand, obviously, but everything sort of… escalated from there.”

She’d planned to hear him out, but she can’t stop herself. “Why couldn’t you let it stand? How was that different?”

“Different from… Oh, you mean from when I attacked Johnny.” He sighs, a strange twist to his lips. “I’ve tried to make this clear, but I can try again. I have always cared for Johnny. Even when we fought, it was with a goal of helping him advance. He may not have understood that at the time - I  _ know _ the idiots in the crowd didn’t understand it - but I think he’s coming around. Dream’s attack was vain and self-serving, and Johnny deserves better.” Tommaso pauses, apparently waiting for a response.

“So he deserves someone attacking him with a personal touch? ”

Tommaso looks surprised, somehow. “Yes. He deserves someone who wants the best for him. Someone with a  _ vision _ , who isn’t short-sighted and doesn’t target him without a plan in place.”

A plan. A plan to destroy his life, to break his neck, to dislocate his knee, to split up their marriage, to get Johnny killed or retired? That sort of plan? She isn’t here to fight, she reminds herself, so she lets her face do the talking. Tommaso nods at the words she isn’t saying.

“I know… that you don’t trust me. You think I’m trying to hurt Johnny, or corrupt him, but I’m not. I don’t see this as corrupt; I’m just trying to show him how far he can go, if he puts his mind to it. He’s always been hampered by his relationship with fans who didn’t appreciate what they had, and now that he’s in business for himself, he’s winning again.”

Johnny made the ‘do it yourself’ joke yesterday and Candice refuses to make it today, but they’re clearly thinking along the same lines. Despite everything, Tommaso isn’t wrong about this: Johnny’s winning again. Whether it’s  _ worth _ winning this way, she doesn’t know. Some of her moves are pretty below the belt, but there has to be a line. Doesn’t there? They both used to be more certain about that. When she doesn’t say anything Tommaso interrupts her thoughts.

“You deserve more too, you know. It’s not just Johnny. We’re off the topic of last night, and I’ll go back to that if you want, but I see you out there. You’re stuck in a rut they’ve put you in, but you could work your way out. You just need to be willing to go further than you already have.”

“No, that-- You’re not going to make me think you still care about that. Not after how you’ve treated me.”

“How have I treated you?” He frowns, seemingly confused, and she sighs. This isn’t a conversation she wants to have, but they’ve never talked about it, either. Negotiation goes both ways, she reminds herself, little as he deserves it.

“You’ve  _ ignored _ me,” she reminds him, ignoring the way her voice cracks. “You didn’t say anything to either of us beforehand, and all you’ve done since then is insult me and belittle me and act like I don’t matter. You called me the ‘little woman’, and you think I’ll believe you when you say I deserve better? I do, but it won’t come from you.”

“I’m…” Tommaso pauses, his face going blank. “I thought you’d see what I was doing.” He takes a deep breath, pressing his lips together, and she prepares herself not to believe a single thing he says. “I was trying to help you, the same way I was trying to help Johnny. By giving you someone to focus your anger on, I thought… I hoped that you would find new ways of fighting. I didn’t take into account that you wouldn’t be able to have the same fights.” He clenches his hands again and leans forward, and it takes an active effort not to lean in towards him. “I’m sorry about that. I am. If you had been in a position to move through the limitations placed on you, that would have been motivation. When I realized it wasn’t helping, I stepped back and tried to leave you out of it. I wasn’t hurting you for the sake of it.”

She almost believes him, is the hard part. She wants to believe he wouldn’t hurt her for no reason, not when he knows how hard she’s fought to get where she is today. And this is… Candice realizes with a start that this is the first time she’s ever heard him apologize for what he's done over the past two years. If he’s capable of realizing he’s made a mistake, maybe he  _ is _ being sincere. She remembers Johnny saying something similar about last night’s conversation, and files that away. She isn’t convinced yet.

“You’re right, I couldn’t have the same fights Johnny had. I haven’t been here as long, and I’d be  _ suspended _ if I’d gone as far as you and he did. How was that supposed to help? If I could have fought you, maybe it would have done some good, but just getting angry in a vacuum? I  _ would _ have fought you if they’d let me, and then you had to be an asshole about that, too.”

He grins, a familiar light entering his eyes. “Well, you’ve still never beaten me.”

“This again? Wow. You’ve never beaten me either, and you’ve never tried again. Once wasn’t enough to settle it.”

“The results say our team beat yours, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all that matters.”

It’s disturbingly easy to have this teasing sort of conversation with him, like they’re still living together, like he’s visiting their school again and they’re sparring in the back before the match. There’s no time for this, though.

“The results also say Johnny beat you in New Orleans, whether it was sanctioned or not.”

That gets a reaction. A spasm of anger passes over his face, disappearing just as quickly, and he nods as he leans back. “I think we can call that one a draw. My point stands, though. I was trying to help, and I failed. All I did was insult you, which was never the point.”

He doesn’t like to repeat himself, she knows, and he’s already apologized. Reiterating the statement is as close to a repeat apology as she’s going to get, and that in itself is… strangely encouraging. He’s nearly breaking his rules for her. The anger is still there, though. Resentment hiding under his calm smile. There’s something he’s not telling her, and she’s sick of all his secrets.

“I accept your apology,” she says, and watches his face carefully, but all she gets is a momentary softening of his eyes. “Let’s go back to last night.”

“Wait, is this… are we  _ processing? _ This is something you and Johnny have talked about, right? You’re trying to see if I’m a good fit.” The laugh, too, is familiar, softer than what she’s become used to, and he looks down as he shakes his head. “Well, I’m honored you’re even considering it.”

“I don’t know if I’m considering it yet, honestly. I’m in the pre-considering stage.” It’s not that she was  _ hiding _ her intentions, but it’s still a little annoying to be so accurately seen through. Now he’ll be even more on guard, surely, and she doubts he’ll apologize again. “You’re right that I don’t trust you. I don’t have a reason to, so far. But I have Johnny’s word, and I’m keeping an open mind.”

“That’s all I ask,” he says, spreading his hands in a gesture of welcome, and she fights the urge to roll her eyes. “Last night… where was I? The fight. Or, well, that’s too dignified a word. It was a brawl, really. They split us up, but they didn’t pay much attention once the yelling stopped. Johnny wandered into an office that hadn’t been locked, and I admit, I followed him. Now that he’s not biting my head off every time he sees me, I wanted to… congratulate him. It’s not often we get a chance to talk, you know.”

Yes, Candice knows. She’s cut off more than a handful of chances herself, but at a certain point she has to trust that Johnny’s in his right mind. All she gives Tommaso is a nod, though.

“So, I congratulated him. I told him I was proud of him for doing what he had to do, and he told me that you weren’t sure about his methods. We had… honestly, a fairly productive conversation about his goals, and how he hadn’t been achieving them until he moved past his old ways of thinking. Until he stopped doing what the crowd wanted, because they’ll never want what’s best for us. If any of us want to succeed, we have to fight our own battles, because relying on them will only lead to betrayal.”

He’s said this before. Candice had been party to some of the conversations he and Johnny had had in the weeks before he broke everything apart, and had heard his arguments for abandoning the audience. But relying on them  _ had _ led to betrayal - Tommaso’s betrayal. She doesn’t think it counts as a prophecy if it’s fulfilled by the person who makes it, not when the crowd had been on their side even after the loss.

“You’ve noticed the crowds booing him, right?” Tommaso breaks into her thoughts as if he can hear them, and she jerks her head up to meet his eyes. She shouldn’t have done that. It’s always so hard to look away. “Even when he’s done everything they asked him to, even when he gives into their bloodlust, they’re never satisfied. Even with your matches… well. There haven’t been as many for them to react to, and that’s a problem in itself, isn’t it? But they don’t seem satisfied then, either. They’ll always want  _ more _ , and they’ll always take more than they give back.”

She doesn’t know if people have seemed satisfied with her matches.  _ She _ hasn’t been satisfied. Before the show today it’s been months since the last one, and even longer since she’s managed to win. She’s sick of this holding pattern she’s in, but… what can she do about it? Tommaso might be right, she’d told Johnny, but she isn’t about to admit it to his face. They can’t do anything without the audience, but what do you do when they stop caring? Isn’t that the same as them turning on you, in the end?

“I’ll take that into consideration,” she tells him, her face carefully blank - though she knows he can see through that, he knows her well enough. “You talked about his goals, and what did he say?”

“After reminding me that I was the one who ended it...” Tommaso shrugs, finally breaking eye contact to look down. “I told him what I’ve said before, which is that my goal was always to help him - to help both of you - move past being concerned with an audience - a company! - that doesn’t give a damn about us, no matter how hard we fight, no matter what we sacrifice. It was never about hating each other, and I told him that, and that’s when he kissed me.” He’s grinning now, but he hasn’t looked back up, so she can’t see his eyes to determine what he means by it. There’s something almost embarrassed about his posture, though, and she can’t square that with the way she’s grown used to thinking of him.

“He pulled away pretty quickly, and then we talked about you a little, actually. Let me get this in order, just a minute.”

Part of her doesn’t want to give him any time to put a story together, wants to rush this out of him so quickly that she can be sure he isn’t lying. That won’t help, though, and she reluctantly appreciates that he’s putting effort into this. Going back through their old patterns, trying to keep things vaguely chronological, even if he keeps derailing his own account. So, just like she did with Johnny, she tells him to take his time, and tries not to look around the room while he thinks. Aside from his title laid out on the bed, there are no indications that he’s spent much time here - even his suitcase is closed, possibly already packed for the flight back. There are no clues.

“OK,” he continues abruptly, jolting her attention back to him. “He stopped, and said we couldn’t do this, you wouldn’t understand. I told him that you want the best for him, and that I was sure you were proud of him, just like I am.”

It’s all Candice can do not to recoil.  _ Proud _ of him? Of course she’s proud of Johnny, but she doesn’t want to think their pride is the same. Tommaso, as far as she can tell, is proud that Johnny gave in to his urging, his antagonism. He has no right comparing that to her pride in her husband for finally winning a singles title. Except that she can’t separate the win from the tactics, can she?

“No matter how he won, he still proved everyone wrong,” Tommaso offers in a low voice, and he’s right, and she hates to admit it. They can be proud for different reasons, even if she can’t quite articulate the difference right now.

“That doesn’t mean he has to keep winning that way. He can defend his title on his own merits.”

“Of course he can! There’s no point if he isn’t being his true self. I just... happen to think his true self is a little different than the image he projects. But leaving that aside,” he continues blithely, like she was ready to move on, “we were talking about you. I told him… most of what I said earlier, about how I wasn’t deliberately shutting you out. I realized that I couldn’t help you in the same way I was trying to help him, but I should have come up with something else. Johnny pointed out that it looked like I didn’t care about you, but nothing could be further from the truth. I wouldn’t go to this effort for people who aren’t important.”

“What  _ effort _ , though? You keep talking about helping him, but what do you think was helpful about how you treated us? You wanted us to, what, learn new ways of fighting. To stop caring what the crowd thought. Why did you have to attack him for that? Or pretend I couldn’t hold my own against you, which we  _ both _ know is bull?”

“To motivate you!” Tommaso seems almost exasperated, but calms himself quickly. “Whatever you did to fight me, you could do against any other opponent, once you knew how. I’d tried to tell you the limits of relying on a style that makes the crowd happy, I’d  _ tried _ to explain that it wasn’t worth the effort of satisfying those parasites, but you wouldn’t believe me - so I realized that the only way to tell you… was to show you. Johnny seems to understand now, if his extracurricular activities are any indication, but… like I said earlier, I didn’t take your schedule into account. Making you angry wasn’t enough without an opponent to take it out on. I admitted as much to Johnny, too.”

Candice doesn’t know what to say to that. He wanted them… to hate him, so that they could turn that anger on other people? Two years ago she would have said that was ridiculous, deluded at best, but… her anger  _ has _ helped her. It hasn’t helped her win matches, but then, she hasn’t had that many to win. It’s helped her react to  _ that _ , though. It’s helped her know her worth, and fight back against people who tried to manipulate her. It’s a stunning thought, and she hopes it isn’t visible on her face, because she doesn’t want to give Tommaso any clue that he’s hit home. Resentment has built up and she’s been able to channel it. He’s actually helped her. How is she supposed to square that?

Tommaso nods like he’s heard something she hasn’t said, and clasps his hands together. “Hurting you was never the goal in and of itself. I felt it was necessary to drive you on, but it wasn’t the point. You have to understand, I didn’t do any of that with the goal of reuniting at the end of it. It was a sacrifice I made, separating myself from you.”

She finds herself nodding, but stops. This isn’t why she’s here. A few deep breaths - which he definitely notices, but it can’t be helped - and she’s focused again. “You hurt us whether or not you wanted to. Whatever the result might have been… you can’t just wave a wand and make that disappear. We’ve been dealing with this the best we can, and you’ve kept yourself in our lives so we can’t even move past it. And now…” She sighs. “Now it’s helping, apparently. But that doesn’t mean I can forgive you for what you did. I don’t even know if Johnny has forgiven you, regardless of what happened last night.”

“I understand. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m just glad you see that it  _ did _ help you.”

He has to be using the plural ‘you’, because she hasn’t admitted that she’s benefitted at all, but it’s still true. At least they’re at that point.

“You know what I have to ask, though. I mean, we’re not done with last night yet, but you have to know what the biggest obstacle is.” She’s been doing well at keeping her hands still, but now she clasps them together, twisting her wedding ring until the movement catches his eye. “During the street fight…”

“I know.” He’s nodding before she even gets the words out, and she’s startled to see what looks like actual regret on his face. “I know. That was… another example of hurting you. It was… Johnny said I should talk to you, and he was right, but that’s something I don’t know if I can explain.”

“Try. I need to hear this.”

Candice isn’t trying to be blunt in her phrasing, but if she’s not methodical she knows her voice will shake. She does need to hear this, more than anything else he’s said. She fully believes he’ll try to justify it, but she wants to hear that justification, whatever it is. They’ve never been able to understand why he would go that far, and even knowing how he explains it to himself would shed some light.

“You were… getting fed up with Johnny, at that point. After he knocked you onto the ramp, especially, it was clear to me you were almost through with him.”

On that score, at least, she doesn’t need to be convinced. She hadn’t wanted to abandon Johnny, but she had almost been at the point of sleeping in a different room, or at least going to Regal and asking him to change the stipulation. She hadn’t known Tommaso had been aware of that, though, and suddenly she’s retroactively self-conscious about it.

“What I wanted to do in that match was… motivate him, obviously, and I think I did that. But I also wanted to make sure that you and he stayed on the same page. There was no point in helping him move past his barriers if you still had your own, so I had to go as far as I could. When I saw on the monitor that you had given him a crutch - which was a nice move, by the way, I appreciated it - when I saw that, I knew you were close to understanding, and I thought that… there must be a way I could get you over that last hurdle.” Tommaso takes a deep breath, looking down at his hands, and Candice braces herself.

“I saw that ring, the symbol of everything you two share, and I knew I could make you both hate me so much that you would stop at nothing to get back at me.” He looks back up at her, hands tapping against his knees, his eyebrows raised in what might almost be apology. “So I took it off, and spat on it, and threw it away, because I knew you would think I was spitting on our relationship too. And that’s all the explanation I have.”

“You were.”

“What?”

Her voice is faint, and she struggles to repeat herself without choking up. “You were spitting on our relationship. It was your ring.”

Tommaso’s hands still. He doesn’t say anything, though his lips part and move as if he’s trying to get something out.

“We never got rid of it. Even after you left it behind, we couldn’t…” Candice presses her lips together, because she’s  _ not _ going to cry in front of him, she’s not.

“Mine was half a size bigger than his. I thought it seemed a little too easy to take off.” He sounds stunned, and she feels the same way, though she doubts their reasons are the same. “Why was…”

“Because he never gave up hope, you idiot. He hated you and wanted you out of his life, but he still hoped there might be something good in you. You know him, he’s all heart. He wanted both of us with him in the fight, in case there was a chance you were still in there somewhere.”

She won’t say what she wanted, what she hoped, because she can’t do that without yelling or crying, and this isn’t the time for either. After Tommaso left his ring behind, under his keys on the kitchen table, it was weeks before they could look at it, even to put it in a drawer. Unlike Johnny and Candice’s wedding, this one hadn’t been publicized, or even legally recognized, but it was still real to them, and that abandonment was its own pain, separate from the physical injuries.

Johnny had definitely thrown the ring at Tommaso’s car more than once, and possibly at his door, but they hadn’t trusted that Tommaso wouldn’t just throw it out if he found it, so in the end they wrapped it up and kept it in the closet along with the framed picture of their tag title victory. Other mementoes they’d thrown out, but those two reminders of their ex-husband were too important to get rid of.

“We couldn’t exactly talk to anyone about it, because no one knew, so there was no way to get past it. I think we hoped you might come back for it, since you took everything else, but…”

“I thought you’d throw it out. I assumed you would, actually. Just another reminder of the one who destroyed your lives, right?”

“Did you really think it would be that easy to forget you? Even after everything you did, it’s not like you can snap your fingers and erase two years of a relationship.” Candice shakes her head and can’t help but laugh. “You had this whole plan to push us away, to make us our ‘best selves’, but you didn’t even take into account how much we loved you. Maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

His face twitches, but he tilts his head in acknowledgement. “You might be right. It worked, though, didn’t it? You were back in his corner after that, even if I was… mistaken about the reason.”

“Yes. Sure. If you  _ have _ to be right instead of admitting you fucked up, then yes, I was back in his corner. You clearly didn’t care about any of the bonds that used to matter to you, so we had to make sure we didn’t do your job for… you.” She falters to a stop at the look on his face. “That’s what you meant, though. You wanted us to stay together.”

Tommaso’s expression still isn’t readable, but he nods. “That was the plan. If you could unite against me, instead of fighting over how much I was or wasn’t influencing you, you could use that anger against anyone you faced. And you did.”

He isn’t wrong. This is all too much to take in.

“You found the ring, right?” His voice is soft now, almost hesitant, and it’s so unlike the tone she’s used to from him that she isn’t sure she’s heard him. “I know they scoured the arena, and I’ve seen Johnny wearing a ring since then, but now I don’t know if it was his or mine.”

“We did find yours, but he hasn’t worn it since then. As far as he was concerned, you’d had your chance. Until recently, I guess.”

“That’s… more than fair.” His tone is reasonable, but she isn’t sure if she can trust what he says. Still, even the explanations she’d expected to ring false have painted him in an unflattering light, with faulty plans and uneven motivations, so he’s clearly being more honest than she’d realized he was still capable of.

“If that  _ had _ been Johnny’s ring, though, it could have gone… so wrong. What if I’d decided that was the last straw? What if… it was too much effort, and we decided there was nothing keeping us together?”

“That would never have happened. I know you two. Just as well as you know each other, probably. Maybe better? At *least* as well. I know you both double down when you’re angry, and you don’t give up if there’s a chance of revenge. At least, if the general manager agrees to the matches that will make that happen.”

Another reminder that she wasn’t allowed to fight him, which she still thinks would have helped. No matter his intent, being sanctioned in her desire to kick his ass would have been closure.

“Well, I’m glad you think so, because we weren’t so sure for a while. Maybe if Regal  _ had _ agreed, we would have been able to put everything to rest, but they’re so--” She cuts herself off, but Tommaso gestures encouragingly.

“You’re absolutely right, they don’t know a good thing when they see it.”

“They don’t! I don’t know why-- I’m an intergender wrestler. It’s what I made my name on. I’ll fight anyone, but they knew when they signed me that this was something I was good at, and they won’t let me do it! They’ll let, you know, Kassius fight Matt three times because he resents being overlooked, but they won’t let me fight the man who tried to kill my husband?”

“Point of order.”

“Noted. The man everyone  _ thought _ was trying to kill my husband, including me, but apparently had our best interests at heart while he was tearing us apart.” Tommaso grins, and she grins back, though it’s shaky.

“You make a good point: matches are made on grudges all the time. There was no reason for them not to sanction that one, except that they still don’t think women can fight men. Not even to prove someone wrong, apparently.”

“They treat us like… I don’t know, ‘pawns’ isn’t the right word, we’re doing our own fighting. But they make the matches, they decide which feuds get legitimized and which ones run the risk of suspension if you follow up on them, and then they film that too? Why did they air the footage from when Shayna and I fought in the parking lot, whose business was that?”

“Absolutely no one’s, you’re right. That was between the two of you, and if they didn’t want to give you a chance at a match, the least they could have done was ignore it. Not to mention the brawl last night. The show was over, there was no reason to air what happened afterwards. Especially once we were all backstage, where no one could have seen it without us being filmed.”

“I have to say, I’m glad they filmed that, because it let me know why Johnny was so late getting back. But… You’re still right. It’s weird.”

“Oh!” Tommaso sits upright suddenly, tilting his head at her. “I never finished processing. Although… there’s not much left to tell.”

Almost everything he’s said so far has tracked with what Johnny told her, which - considering how ashamed and mad at himself Johnny had been - tells her they’ve both been honest to the best of their ability. If that trend continues, she knows what’s left, but there’s no sense in not finishing this.

“Right. He kissed you, pulled away, you talked about me…”

“And then he locked the door and kissed me again,  _ much _ more forcefully that time. We didn’t talk much after that, to be honest, although I know what it sounds like when I say that.” He has the nerve to wink, but also has the decency to look abashed when she stares back at him. “No, the truth is that we didn’t get beyond groping, and then we remembered that we’d be locked in if we didn’t leave soon. We showered, kept our hands to ourselves, and came back to the hotel. In separate cars.”

She sits for a minute, thinking over everything he’s told her. Well, almost everything. He’s laid out a great deal, and some of it feels like it’s swimming at the edges of her consciousness, but she and Johnny can go over that when she gets back. Thank goodness she already got her workout in, because they’re going to be busy right up until the show at this rate.

Despite her best efforts, he makes sense. She can see traces of the man she used to know in his thought patterns, in the bizarre way he constructs his plans. And he’s right about far more than she’ll admit to his face, including her reaction to his betrayal. She  _ had _ wanted to fight him, and she still thinks she should have been allowed to. That anger has flared up again, directed at the company rather than at him, and she has to figure out what to do with it. Some decisions are easy, though.

“OK. Do you have any questions, while we’re doing this? Because Johnny and I have discussed it, but I’m not sure what your goals are.”

“I do have one question, actually.” He rolls his shoulders, his neck, and she can’t help but focus on the movement of his muscles. She manages to look away by the time his attention is back on her, thankfully. “I know you’re upset for… a lot of reasons. Are you upset that Johnny and I kissed before you and I had this conversation?”

“Yes.” It’s a simple question with a simple answer. “He shouldn’t have done it, and you should have stopped him.”

“You’re probably right,” he admits, and she’s almost surprised. “I’d plead the victory rush, but that’s not an excuse. I can promise you it won’t happen again unless you tell me you’re all right with it.”

“I… appreciate that. I’ll let you know.” She takes a moment to think about the plan she and Johnny will have to work out, but one thing at a time. “Any other questions?”

“None that I can think of right now, no. I’m sure I’ll think of some, but I’ll leave this in your court. You still have my number?”

Candice nods before realizing what she’s just admitted, but… she’s also admitted to keeping his wedding ring, so his number surely pales in comparison. He still flashes a muted version of his triumphant grin, and it occurs to her that he  _ didn’t _ tell her about Johnny admitting he still loves him. There could be any number of reasons for that, including - if she’s being her most generous self - not wanting to raise conflict, but she isn’t going to bring it up either. In lieu of that, she stands.

“I’ll talk to Johnny, and then we’ll see what happens.” Remembering his discarded knee brace, she holds out a hand to help him up, and after a moment, he accepts it. There’s too little space between the desk and the bed, though, and before she knows it they’re pressed together.

She wants to kiss him. She hates herself for it, but she does. It’s easy, easier than she wants to admit, to understand why Johnny had gone for it. He was a part of their lives for so long, why wouldn’t they dive right back in? But it’s not that simple, and he’s the one who drove the first wedge. She doesn’t trust him enough to open herself up like that yet, even if Johnny does. So instead she steps back, turning the offered grasp into a handshake.

“We’re still not good. I don’t know if we’ll ever be where we were. But I trust Johnny, and he sees something in you, so… you’d better hope you’re worth it.”

(Besides, she doesn’t say, he’s responsible for the headspace Johnny has gotten into lately. The least he can do is help him.)

“Well, I like to think I am, but I’ll go with whatever you two decide. I do want to help Johnny, if nothing else. He’s finally gotten where he needs to be, but he doesn’t seem sure of what to do next. Maybe the two of us can work together on that, hm?”

It’s not pleasant when he echoes the thoughts she hasn’t voiced, now that they’re not close enough for it to feel like a natural part of their relationship, but maybe that will come in time. For now, she simply nods. He hasn’t let go of her hand yet, but she also hadn’t noticed until just now, so they’re equally awkward when they realize and pull their hands apart.

“Good luck tonight,” Tommaso offers as she leaves. “To both of you.”

“Thanks. You gonna come watch us fight?”

He shakes his head regretfully. “I can’t, my flight leaves in the middle of the show. I’ll see you back home, though.”

“Yeah… home.” It’s a strange word in his mouth, but one she appreciates hearing. Maybe there’s something here to salvage after all.


	3. Like You Can Breathe Now

It’s a long walk back from Tommaso’s room. This weekend has turned out to be busier than Candice had anticipated, and it isn’t even over. As she walks she tries to sort through the checklist in her mind, working out what needs to be done immediately versus what can probably wait until they’re home, but there’s too much. She’ll have to write it out and ignore Johnny’s teasing about diagramming their relationship. Maybe he won’t tease her this time, though. He knows as well as she does how dangerous this could be if they get it wrong.

Well. Time for that when it happens. She takes a deep breath before unlocking the door.

“Johnny, you in here?”

He’s not in the room, and a glance at the bathroom shows he isn’t there either, so she assumes he must have gone down to the gym. In a way, she’s grateful for that. It gives her more time to plan, to at least sketch an outline and hide it in a misnamed folder so no one sees it. There are too many variables and not enough time to discuss them, and she _refuses_ to let this distract her from her chance at a title shot.

Even so, it’s not long before she closes her notebook in frustration and switches to packing her gear bag. Nervous energy translates itself into efficiency, and since all she can do today is wait for tonight, she might as well get ready, right? Never mind that she has nowhere to _bring_ the bag yet, and won’t for several more hours - the point is that she’ll be ready to leave. Efficient. Good work, LeRae.

Except that now there’s nothing else to do, and nothing to stop her from going to bug Johnny in the gym.

It’s not the best hotel gym she’s ever seen, but it’s nicely laid out, with mid-morning sunshine streaming through the picture windows and illuminating the machines. It’s also appointed well enough that Johnny isn’t the only one there, so there’s no point trying to sneak up on him. Instead, she leans on the back of his recumbent bike and rests her chin on his head.

“How’s it going?”

“Not bad,” he laughs, tilting his head back to look at her. “Chuck had some concerns. He, uh. Also told me to take care of myself, which is getting to be a theme. I guess I look like I need the advice.”

“Just a little, but you’re not doing as badly as you could be.” It’s true. He made an unwise decision last night, but it’s nothing she hadn’t accepted in advance. She’s still going to be wary of his impulse control for a while, but all in all, he’s doing well. He’s winning, he’s making plans, he has people in his corner who want the best for him. He does need to take care of himself, but at least he’s not alone.

“I talked to…” Candice glances around at the handful of other occupants. “Him.”

“Yeah?” Johnny sits up, the pedals abandoned as he twists in the seat to face her. “How’d that… maybe this isn’t the place, but.” He glances around too, a nervous, pinched look coming over his face, and she moves so they can see each other more easily. “How’d it go?”

“Well, I’m keeping some things in consideration. The three of us definitely need to have a conversation. But…” She pauses, pressing her lips together. “A lot of what he said makes sense. Even… some things I never thought he’d be able to explain.”

“Really. Wow.” Johnny blinks a few times, nodding to himself. “I can’t even ask what they are, but let me wrap up and we can-- I mean, if you’re OK to talk about it now?”

“Yeah, I think it can only help. Get us settled, if nothing else, right? We don’t need any more butterflies than we’d already have.”

“Absolutely, yeah. Just give me a minute to shower--”

“Hey, no, don’t cut it short on my account, you need this too. Have you done weights yet? I can spot you.”

The rest of Johnny’s workout is relatively peaceful, except for their usual back-and-forth, and it’s a good reminder of how well they fit together. Even when other people enter their relationship, they’re solid and certain, and they work hard to make sure that stays the case. They’ve both had, and still have, casual relationships with friends, whether Candice with Kairi or both of them with Chuck, so communication has always been important to make sure things don’t get complicated and ugly. 

It doesn’t always work - Candice thinks suddenly and bitterly of her abbreviated fling with Zelina - but it’s rare that they’re not on the same page. Course corrections and checking in have become routine, and that’s something to be grateful for, no matter what unexpected challenges arise.

Back in their room, Candice opens her notes and sends a few texts while Johnny showers, then looks longingly at the remaining cupcakes. Reward or consolation, she reminds herself. No point loading up on sugar before the biggest match of her career so far, not when she can indulge tonight.

“So,” Johnny begins, as he leaves the bathroom half-dressed, “what’s the biggest thing you couldn’t mention in public? We might as well start with that, right?” He sits on the bed and leans against her knees, prompting her to run her fingers through his drying hair.

“Well, he… I guess the biggest one is that he actually apologized. For… multiple things, believe it or not. He was pretty level-headed, but he reiterated a lot of what you told me, and really wanted to make sure I knew he wasn’t trying to come between us. He went over that a few times.”

“Wait, really?” He looks up at her, confusion plain on his face but mixed with a dawning hope. “Even though he doesn’t--”

“Doesn’t repeat himself, yeah. I was surprised too, but he seems… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he seems sincere? He admitted that he never expected us to forgive him. I don’t know what to do with that.”

“Did he… say anything about you? How he treated you, I mean?”

“Actually, yeah, we had a really-- a _strangely_ good conversation about all that. He thinks I should have been allowed to fight him. That was surprising, considering…”

“...all the crap he was spewing?”

Candice blows out a breath. “Pretty much. That doesn’t make it better, but according to him, he was trying to motivate me the same way he was you. Making you angry enough to fight back and see how far you could go. Except… I couldn’t exactly fight him, so his plans didn’t go so well.”

“And he admitted that. Wow.” Johnny looks a little stunned. “I mean, I hoped, but that feels dangerously like progress.”

“It kind of does. He actually made sense, which is a little hard to adjust you, you know? There’s more to work with than I realized, but he said he’d leave it up to us.”

“Do you…” Johnny presses his lips together. “Do you want to get back with him, too?” For a moment he looks like he’s going to say something else, but he stops, letting her gather her thoughts.

“I don’t know.” It’s a harder question than the one Tommaso had asked, and she wonders if it had occurred to him too. That’s an unsettling thought. If he wanted to ask, he’d restrained himself, and it’s strange that he wouldn’t even broach the subject when it’s so closely related to the one they were working out. On the other hand, maybe he wanted to give her time to think it through on her own. That’s somehow even more unnerving, as disinterested as he’s been lately in letting people figure things out without his ‘guidance’. If he’s giving her space now, what is he planning for the long run? Or is she giving him too much credit?

She’s taken too long to continue, lost in trying to figure it out for herself. “I think where I am is that… I don’t _want_ to want him, but that’s been true since he left. He’s still in my heart, but I don’t want to let him know that. I don’t trust him not to use that somehow.”

Johnny sighs, shifting up the bed until they’re sitting next to each other. “I can’t make that decision for you, obviously. I… don’t think he’d use it against you. I mean, a year ago I would have said he was capable of anything, but I don’t think he’d do that. At least,” he continues after a moment of thought, “not the way he did before, where he was trying to make me hate him. And even that makes sense now, you know? But it wasn’t the same as using your love as a weapon.”

Candice isn’t sure about that. If Johnny hadn’t loved Tommaso, would he have been able to find enough anger to burn through his reservations? If she hadn’t loved him, would she have spent so much time training with Johnny so he could have the revenge she couldn’t? Maybe Tommaso had taken their love into account after all, and had used it to fuel them. The idea is chilling, but it’s a matter of deciding whether the result is worth the effects.

“It’s too easy to talk to him,” she says instead of voicing any of that. “I didn’t realize it would be that easy. I’m so angry at him, and then we’re joking about a match from years ago, or talking about the ring…” She wiggles her fingers so Johnny knows she isn’t talking about the one they fight in. “It’s almost comfortable, and I feel like I should be fighting that, but maybe… I don’t know. I don’t know what I want.”

“You talked about the ring?” Johnny’s voice is uneven, almost faint, and Candice nods with some hesitation.

“He had an explanation, believe it or not, and it was almost… understandable. You know, for him and his twisted motivations.” When she tries to get his rationale together to explain to Johnny, however, it’s hard to find the right words. It had all made sense at the time, bonding them through appearing to split them apart, but she isn’t sure she’s conveying the sentiment properly.

“So when you told me that we had to stick together, and you weren’t giving up on me because that was what he wanted… what he really wanted was for you to _think_ that? That’s so convoluted, what if it hadn’t worked?”

“That’s what I said! It could have backfired so badly, especially if it had really been your ring, but… he didn’t think that was even a possibility. He knew we’d double down and unite against him, he said.”

“That’s… wow.” Johnny shakes his head and looks close to laughter. “He had more faith than I did, at that point. I thought for sure you were done with me.”

“Hey, no. Come on.” They’ve talked extensively about that period, what they should or shouldn’t have done, every solution they can think of. What’s done is done, and she wouldn’t _really_ have left. Probably. But reminders are still a little raw, and she rubs Johnny’s back before pulling him in for a side hug. “We’re in this together, whatever the weather. That’s not changing, no matter what part he plays. Even if he apparently knows that too.”

Johnny presses a kiss to her shoulder. “I’ve mentioned how I don’t deserve you, right?”

“You have, and I’ll say what I always say: Chuck doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

That gets a laugh out of him, for which she’s grateful. “I don’t know, he made some decent points earlier, but I get it. Just this once, I’ll drop it.”

Going over the rest of Candice and Tommaso’s conversation, from the hesitant beginning to the awkward end, takes them nearly up to the time they have to leave, but it’s worth talking out. Especially before shows, that’s something they’ve always been clear on: go into it with the emotions that will help your match, nothing that will distract. It can’t be helped this time, but it might actually be for the best that they know Tommaso won’t be there, or even watching live. Enough eyes will be on them, including each others’. The rest can wait until they’re home.

* * *

Home, as it turns out, is no easier, but at least they have more time to themselves. Between training and readjusting to this new variable in their lives, it takes a few days and multiple conversations before they decide they’re ready to meet with Tommaso again. It has to happen before Sunday, because tagging with Tommaso and Adam will be hard enough as it is. They’re both agreed on that.

Even though Johnny had hesitantly changed Tommaso’s contact name to ‘T’, rather than ‘Die’ or ‘Never’, neither of them can bring themselves to text him. Tommaso, for his part, has been true to his word and remained fastidious in avoiding contact, nodding in the hallways but making no effort to approach. In the end, they rely on chance, and when they happen to be leaving the training room as he walks in, Candice reaches out to touch his shoulder before he can walk by.

“Are you free later, to…” Her eyes dart back and forth, but no one is watching. “To talk?”

The grin that spreads over his face is almost unnerving, and it takes her a moment to realize that it’s because he isn’t showing his teeth. It’s too much to ask that he stop being attractive when she wants to remain impartial, she supposes.

“I have PT after this, but I should be free around… four or five, I think. Does that work?”

“It should, yeah.” Johnny’s voice is stronger than it’s tended to be lately, more sure of himself, and Candice is proud of him. “There’s a Waffle House a few miles from here, you remember the one off Semoran? We were thinking that would work.” Neutral ground, he doesn’t say.

“I don’t know, are you sure you want to be seen with me?” Tommaso palms the back of his neck with an almost-wink. “Maybe something a little further away would be better.”

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take,” Candice interjects, though it’s interesting that he considered their reputation. He has to know what people are saying about them even now, how much worse could it get? “Worst case scenario, we tell people you’re strategizing for Sunday.”

Tommaso laughs, looking down. “Semoran it is, then. Five thirty maybe, give me time to shower?”

Johnny nods firmly, Candice more cautiously, and the plan is made.

Before they leave, Johnny has PT of his own, and Candice uses the time to burn off nervous energy by baking. Sure, they’re going out to eat, but gingersnap cookies never hurt a negotiation, especially when she happens to remember them as Tommaso’s favorite. Not that she’s trying to ingratiate herself, and not that he deserves it, but why not put him at his ease if it will make the conversation smoother?

Surprisingly, Johnny seems fairly calm when he gets back, and it’s Candice who can’t stop tapping her fingers against her leg as they make the drive. There’s so much at stake here. Even if she doesn’t want a relationship with Tommaso - and she isn’t as certain of that as she’d like to be - she needs to make sure he treats Johnny well, and that Johnny doesn’t talk himself into something he isn’t sure of. He’s already talked himself into plenty, and while, yes, it’s been working out for him, they can’t discount the possibility that Tommaso will suggest something truly harmful next time. They can’t allow themselves to start down a slippery slope.

The sun is just starting to set when they arrive, long shadows stretching across the parking lot and across the booths inside. Tommaso arrives shortly after they do, before they’ve even been seated, and Johnny immediately stops talking. His attention is riveted on Tommaso before a word has been exchanged, and Candice worries for a moment that they should have chosen somewhere further away after all. It’s not unknown for fans to frequent stores and restaurants near the PC, but this _should_ be far enough away to avoid casual encounters. Boldness, new beginnings, taking chances, she reminds herself. Stay on course.

Tommaso nods at the cooks, takes the menu placemats offered them, and leads the way to a booth with only a brief glance back. Johnny and Candice share a look, eyebrows raised, and follow him, sliding in on the same side of the table. Candice, somehow, ends up against the wall with Johnny on the outside, but she isn’t in a mood to complain when they have other priorities. No one says much until they’ve placed their orders, but once their drinks arrive, Johnny speaks up first.

“I think to start with, the three of us should try to agree on what we’re even trying to do here. What kind of… truce, or relationship, or time-share or whatever. I know what _I_ want, and I’m pretty sure I know what Candice wants, but we haven’t talked about it together, all three of us, and we can’t go far without some kind of base.”

“Understood.” Tommaso looks up from the meticulous process of adding sugar to his coffee, stacking the empty packets between his hands as he looks between the two of them. “Should I go first? Or do you have updates since our last conversations?”

They open their mouths to speak at the same time, but Johnny nods at Candice. “You go first, mine can wait.” She clears her throat and wills her pulse to slow before speaking again.

“We want to try… to have some sort of relationship with you. Not the same relationship, obviously. You’re not… you left this marriage on purpose, no matter what you thought you were doing, and you can’t expect to walk back in like nothing’s changed. But Johnny feels, and I agree, that the two of you still have a bond.” She doesn’t know if she and Tommaso still have a bond, doesn’t know if he _wants_ them to, so she’s resolved to let that wait. “But we also agree that you have a habit of… fucking things up for us. By your own admission, you do things that you think will help, no matter how much you know they’ll also hurt us. That can’t go on. Obviously. If we’re going to do this, you _have_ to tell us - or at least Johnny - what you’re doing or aiming for. That means no tricking us into actions, no manipulation, no long game plans that don’t actually include our input.”

She pauses while a server distributes their food, smiling brightly and waiting until he’s most likely out of earshot before continuing. “I don’t know if I trust you, and I’ll be honest about that. Yes, you’ve helped us, but that doesn’t excuse what happened in the meantime. You can’t expect the same level of trust you had when we were all together, not until you’ve earned it again.”

Tommaso nods along, and when she’s stopped speaking he raises a finger as if asking for permission, which she grants with a gesture of her own.

“I understand why you don’t trust me. Either of you. I do think my actions were for the best, but I knew you wouldn’t see them the same way. Hence, the distancing. Now that we’re here… I don’t see any reason to continue along that path. I’ll be upfront with you if you’ll return the favor, and if you’ll listen to my concerns.”

“This did all start because he was sure the fans would turn against him,” Johnny points out, “and he was right. They wanted me to replace him, even though I never would have.” Now he turns back to Tommaso, pointing at him. “ _You_ have to listen to us when we reassure you, though. You were right about the crowd, but we could have proved them wrong if you hadn’t jumped the gun.”

Tommaso sighs minutely, taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing before adding another packet of sugar. “I think we’re all in a position to ignore the crowds, at this point. Whatever they think can’t possibly affect us anymore, because we’re all agreed - I’m pretty sure on this, from what you’ve both told me - that they’re hypocritical loudmouths who don’t care what happens in the ring as long as it makes them happy. Am I right about that?”

Johnny nods quickly, Candice more hesitantly, but they’re in agreement nevertheless. Harm and heartbreak aside, he’s always been right about that. They just hadn’t been able to see it. Tommaso’s answering grin is bright and charming, and Candice picks up a fork to prevent herself from reaching for his hand. She lays her other hand on Johnny’s arm, just to be safe, and matches the smile he flashes her in return.

“I promise not to make decisions about your futures without consulting you. I’m sure I’ll be able to convince you in less…” Tommaso waves a hand, searching for a word, “harmful ways. There’s no need to hurt you, and I have no desire to. Ever again.”

“Well, good. You know I’m going to hold you to that. And whether you admit it or not, you also know I can back up my threats.”

There’s a hint of a smile on his lips, but he still nods. “I do. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to make you retaliate. In your words, what I want is a… relationship. With at least Johnny, but I hope we can work something out too. If you want that, of course. Like you said, it can’t be the same as it was before, but I don’t think Johnny and I are the only ones with a bond.” Now he looks uneasy, for the first time since he arrived in the restaurant. “I could be wrong. I don’t _think_ I am, but that’s obviously up to you.”

Candice breaths in through her nose, out through her mouth, and doesn’t say anything. One thing at a time. One mended relationship before the other. Right now she’s the connecting force, not the subject, and she’s happier that way. Johnny clears his throat after a moment of silence, and she’s instantly grateful.

“For right now, we’re focusing on you and I. You hurt us in different ways, and we can’t heal everything at once, no matter how much we try to process. It takes time. It’s taken _enough_ time just to get to this point, we can’t rush anything else.”

“Understood.” Tommaso spreads his hands in a comforting gesture, which is a strange look on him. “No pressure, of course. I’ll go with whatever you decide. I just wanted you to know… the interest is there. I’ve never intended to come between the two of you.”

Johnny chokes a little on his hash browns, and Candice chooses to ignore whatever innuendo he’s thinking of as Tommaso raises an eyebrow. The next few minutes are quiet as they focus on their food, which means they’re all thinking the same thing, and Candice is grateful that this, at least, is a conversation they’re saving for another time. Even if her thoughts _have_ been straying in that direction for the past week.

At last, Johnny looks up. “So if we do this - I mean, if you and I start dating again…” The enormity of those words seems to strike him for a moment, and he pauses, his eyes wide. “Candice is gonna be here the whole time, you know that. I’m not doing anything she’s not OK with. I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place, before talking to her, and I’m not making that mistake again.”

“Absolutely. I don’t want to leave her--” Tommaso cuts himself off and turns his gaze on Candice. “I don’t want to leave you out of this. Even if you and I aren’t in a relationship, you’re still part of ours, and I know how it works. I want to include you, however I can. Remember, the plans I had for Johnny would have worked for you, too, if I’d considered the obstacles that come from booking. And now that intergender wrestling seems to be on the table again…” He pauses, looking significantly at her, and Candice finds herself nodding.

She’s happy for Nia, of course she is. After Nia forced her way into the Rumble, Candice had been convinced a suspension was coming, a public reprimand, _something_ , and the lack of consequences is striking. There are even rumors that she’ll have a match against a man on a road show, something Candice has been itching for since she made her debut in this company.

So yes, she’s happy for Nia, but she wants the same opportunities, and if they don’t come now, will they ever? Would Tommaso really be able to help her with that?

“Anything could be possible if we work together,” he says, as if hearing her thoughts. “I have a few ideas, but as you said: no more plans without consulting you. So yes,” he continues, turning back to Johnny, “I know she’ll be here. If she weren’t, I would be worried.”

Candice can see relief in Johnny’s smile even before she turns towards him, and her heart aches as he takes her hand. He wants so badly, so fiercely, for this overture to work, and she wants that too - not only for his sake, but for hers. A relief of pain, an escape from looking over their shoulders, an easing of their burdens… she’d never thought Tommaso could be the remedy for the ills he caused, but maybe this is where they’ve been heading all along.

When she places her hand over Johnny’s, squeezing it and trying to share strength, she knows she’s in deeper than she had intended. She can see how Tommaso looks at him, how Johnny looks at both of them, and it’s all so familiar, but there’s still a barrier. Candice isn’t part of that relationship. Candice is here to protect Johnny, because he’s been hurt and isn’t sure whether his decisions are the right ones, and they trust each other enough to work together this way. But when his decisions make sense, when Tommaso’s suggestions are reasonable and they both want to follow his lead, it’s hard to remember why she shouldn’t dive in.

Her hesitation is slipping away, and that’s almost as unnerving as the reluctance had been. There’s no reason not to be careful, but she… it takes her aback to realize, but she might trust Tommaso with Johnny. She shouldn’t, she feels sure - she knows everything he’s done, all the physical and emotional harm he’s caused - but while he might have lied to them to set them on this path, he isn’t lying anymore. Johnny listened to Tommaso, and used his tactics, and now he has a title. Those are the facts.

If Candice had listened, or if Regal would have let her fight him, would she have a title? Would she at least be in the picture? There’s no way of knowing, but she wants to try. She has goals, and plans to accomplish them, and if Tommaso is telling the truth - always questionable, but she’s slowly being convinced - having two champions at her back can’t hurt her chances. She’s going to have a word with the coaches the next chance she gets, because tactics can’t be the only thing holding her back.

Without quite realizing it, via absent-minded bites and awkward silences, they’ve all finished their meals. As Johnny stacks the plates for the server, Candice brings up the bag she’d stashed between herself and the wall. “I brought cookies. I was gonna bring them out first thing, but they make more sense as dessert, really.” She opens the box, offering it first to Johnny and then to Tommaso, who takes one with careful fingers and holds it up to examine.

“Is this gingersnap?”

“Yep.”

“You made these?”

She hadn’t said that, but it’s a reasonable assumption. “Earlier today.”

There’s a strange glint in his eyes, something she hasn’t seen in a long time, and he nods as if she’s confirmed what he already knew. “Thank you. These are my favorite.”

She knows. He knows she knows. Despite the games, she’s still gratified that the cookies worked. Not as an overture, not smoothing the conversation they’ve already had - in the end, they’re a peace offering. They’re proof that some fences can be mended, even tentatively.

The vague excuse for this meeting was going - if anyone asked - to be a strategy session for Halftime Heat with Candice acting as a buffer, so they briefly touch on that as they polish off the cookies. There’ll be a short training session Sunday morning, but the powers that be know that unlike their opponents, no one on this team can stand each other, having been thrown together by mutual dislike of the upstarts trying to stop them from achieving their goals. They’re not expected to win via teamwork, but via pure unbridled anger, which they all have in spades.

The fact that two members of this odd team have come to a truce doesn’t change anything. They hid their relationship the first time, and they’ll do so now. They clearly still remember each other’s moves, if the way they’ve been imitating each other for two years is anything to go by, and their tag moves will return in time. _If_ they decide to tag again after this hastily-arranged grudge match, which isn’t remotely certain. They’re both singles champions now, after all. Granted, each won with the other’s help, but that’s not how the tag scene works.

(When Candice mentions this, Tommaso looks confused, reminding her that he earned his title on his own merits. Johnny nods along, but that’s definitely not what happened. They can figure that out later.)

When the cookies are gone, long after their server has begun pointedly passing nearby and wiping down the adjacent booths, the three of them wind their discussion down and decide to leave. It’s too early to invite him home, not after the way he’d left, but there’s a new understanding and the possibility is open. That’s more than they had this morning.

“So what are you up to the rest of the day?” Johnny asks after they’ve split the bill and moved to the parking lot. Though their meeting can’t have lasted more than two hours, the sun has nearly disappeared, taking any residual warmth with it. It’s not the best place for a casual conversation, but they make do with what they have.

“Well, I have to polish Goldy, which always takes a while. After that, my night is my own. I might get in another workout, there’s an audiobook I’ve been trying to finish.”

“Right, right.” Johnny seems at a loss for further questions, which is preferable to asking exactly why polishing ‘Goldy’ is such an extensive and frequent process. Candice hates that the thought has even occurred to her.

“What about you?” Tommaso asks, when the silence has stretched on a little too long. “Any big plans?”

“Hah, no. Got all that out of the way earlier. All that’s left is to feed the cats, make sure they don’t climb the walls once they’re full… that’s pretty much it.”

“If we’re feeling _really_ fancy we might watch Cutthroat Kitchen and get takeout,” Candice adds, and wonders if Tommaso’s solemn nod means he’s remembering times when the three of them had done exactly that. Curled up on the couch with Cuban or Chinese food, yelling at the TV and suggesting solutions for the challenges… It’s a domesticity she had taken for granted until it was suddenly gone.

“Well, those sound like good nights all around, I guess we’d better get on with them.” That smirk again, less vicious than the one they’ve seen lately, and Candice wonders for a moment how he does it. How he manages to switch from one mode to another while using the same words and gestures. Of course, maybe it’s sincerity that does it, but that means he’s sincere when he looks like a demon in the shadows, too. It’s a talent, and she kind of wants to pick his brain about it.

“See you around, I guess? We’ll have to make, like, actual plans at some point.” Johnny holds out his hand, and Tommaso takes it to shake before scoffing and pulling him into a hug.

Even after all their discussions, seeing this in person after so long is very strange. Not bad, Candice thinks, but… strange. A paradigm shift she’d thought she was prepared for, that nonetheless strikes her with every new experience. Their hug looks natural, though, with Johnny sinking into the embrace more easily than his nervous tone would attest, and it’s good - weird, but good - to have confirmation of what she’s already decided. Hopefully she’s able to see this again.

When he and Johnny pull apart Tommaso holds his hand out to her in turn, not tentative at all but not visibly expecting more than a handshake. In that moment, with that affirmation, Candice comes to a decision. He’s not much taller than Johnny, but it still takes a slight effort to leverage the grip of the handshake, lean up, and kiss him on the cheek. Just the cheek, no need to move too fast, but more than she’d been prepared to do before.

(If he’d turned his head she would have caught his mouth, and she’s not certain she’s glad he didn’t. Would she be able to taste the gingersnaps on his lips? Time enough for that in the future, she tells herself.)

Tommaso blinks at her, their hands still clasped, and what starts as something resembling a smirk becomes a full-blown grin as she watches, unable to tear her eyes away from his face.

“I’ll take that as a ‘maybe’, then?” He hasn’t pulled away yet, but neither has she, and she wonders if Johnny missed seeing this the way she missed seeing them.

“Let’s say you can take it as an ‘eventually’.” Candice squeezes his hand maybe a little more firmly than she needs to before letting go, but of course he doesn’t react. Everything is a test, even when they’re on a collision course, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

There are some things that can’t be undone, and others she doesn’t think she wants undone. She still has questions, and she knows Johnny does too, but they have time to work their way through this new - familiar, but definitely new - dynamic. The one thing they can’t do is look back. No matter their path going forward, the bridge has been torched, and they have no choice but to swim.

The last remnants of sunlight reflect off the surface of the lake as they drive away, nearly blinding Johnny in his haste to change lanes, but by the time they arrive home night has fallen completely. The day is far from over, technically speaking, but night is its own comfort - all that’s left is what they’re used to, what works for them from years of established routine, starting with feeding the yowling animals who twine around their feet as soon as they walk through the door.

“We’ll be all right, won’t we?”

Johnny pauses in the middle of opening a can. “Of course we will. We’ve worked through worse.”

“That’s true, I guess. Most of that was his fault, but we did work through it.”

“Yeah…” Johnny laughs quietly. “That’s true too. But if he’s back in our corner, there aren’t a lot of limits on what we can do. He has a title, I have a title… You’re next, I know you are. Now that we know what works.”

Candice nods thoughtfully, taking the cats’ bowls from him and setting them on the floor. She does know what works. It’s just a matter of taking that next step. And if anyone else gets in her way, well… Johnny and Tommaso have given her a pretty good example to follow when it comes to removing obstacles.

“You’re right. I’ll find a way to talk to some people soon about at least getting another shot at a contendership, and if that doesn’t work… I don’t know, maybe I just have to follow Nia’s lead. Interrupt a men’s match and see how long they let me fight, see if that gets me anywhere.”

“See, there you go! Making chances if they don’t come to you, that’s what it’s all about. I know you’re no stranger to that, but it’s a new environment. Maybe you have to go back to old tricks.”

Candice can’t help but laugh. “You think if I ballsplex Hunter he’ll give me a title shot?”

“I’d… start smaller, but that’s just me. Live your dream.”

Candice headbutts his shoulder as she passes, and he pretends to fall back in pain, leaning against the doorway into the living room. It’s a familiarity she has to keep reminding herself hasn’t changed, even though they’re taking new steps. They’re still the same people, after all - they just have a new toolkit. Or a new rulebook, maybe.

One with a lot more loopholes.


End file.
